The Final Countdown
Plush new details of the Houston Dynamo stadium are revealed: See inside new-agelocker room
Only 19 days remain until the first Dynamo game.Photo by Whitney Radley
The team's locker room has been officially revealed.Photo by Whitney Radley
LCD displays line the field.Photo by Whitney Radley
Only two players have seen the locker room first hand.Photo by Whitney Radley
A calendar on the north side of the nearly-complete BBVA Compass Stadium counts down the days until opening. On Monday, that number was a narrow 19.
The Houston Dynamo's first game in the stadium takes place on May 12 against D.C. United. The seats have been sold out for six weeks, and the stadium is 95 percent complete.
"The devil is in the details," said Doug Hall, the stadium's general manager, during the first official media event in the stadium's dedicated press conference room.
Hall and Dynamo president Chris Canetti led a cadre of cameras and reporters through the stadium, unveiling the team's locker room (in all of its wooden-lockered, decorative-carpeted glory), the press box (complete with indoor and outdoor seating), as well as the stadium's suites, each outfitted with a refrigerator, a stovetop, two big, flat-screen televisions and unbeatable views of the field.
"It's a game-changer for our organization," Canetti said.
Signs have been hung, seating installed and LCD screens mounted along the field. The sprinkler system was on, and the turf shone bright green.
Around the rest of the stadium, workers were putting final touches: Landscaping the exterior, pressure-washing cinderblock walls and touching up paint.
Ladies cleaned the suites' interiors and caterers prepared for a pre-opening preview party for suite holders, who have been invited to sample the food, visit the club and test out their cushioned seats.
"It's a game-changer for our organization," said Canetti of the team's first dedicated soccer stadium.
